WHITTIER HOSPITAL MEDICAL CENTER
1. Top 10 Disparities
The following table lists the ten largest health equity disparities identified for this reporting period.
Disparities for each hospital equity measure are identified by comparing the rate ratios by stratification groups. Rate ratios are calculated differently for measures with preferred low rates and those with preferred high rates. Rate ratios are calculated after applying the California Health and Human Services Agency's "Data De-Identification Guidelines (DDG)," dated September 23, 2016.
The table below highlights the ten widest health equity disparities identified by hospitals and hospital systems during this reporting period. Measure names have been shortened for display purposes. To view each measure in full, please download the complete Hospital Equity Report using the link below.
| Measure | Stratification | Stratification Group | Stratification Group Rate | Reference Group | Reference Rate | Rate Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1.
HCAI 30-Day readmission
|
Age (excluding maternal measures) | 50 to 64 | 20.9% | 18 to 34 | 3.0% | 6.90 |
|
2.
HCAI 30-Day readmission
|
Age (excluding maternal measures) | 65 and older | 15.7% | 18 to 34 | 3.0% | 5.20 |
|
3.
HCAI 30-Day readmission
|
Age (excluding maternal measures) | 35 to 49 | 11.2% | 18 to 34 | 3.0% | 3.70 |
|
4.
HCAI 30-Day readmission
|
Expected Payor | Medicare | 16.6% | Private | 8.8% | 1.90 |
|
5.
HCAI 30-Day readmission
|
Sex Assigned at Birth | Male | 18.1% | Female | 10.1% | 1.80 |
|
6.
HCAI 30-Day readmission
|
Race and/or Ethnicity | White | 18.8% | Hispanic or Latino | 10.6% | 1.80 |
|
7.
HCAI 30-Day readmission NOBH
|
Sex Assigned at Birth | Male | 15.8% | Female | 8.9% | 1.80 |
|
8.
HCAI 30-Day readmission
|
Race and/or Ethnicity | Asian | 14.3% | Hispanic or Latino | 10.6% | 1.30 |
|
9.
HCAI 30-Day readmission
|
Expected Payor | Medicaid | 11.8% | Private | 8.8% | 1.30 |
2. Equity Plan
Whittier Hospital Medical Center (WHMC) had 9 top disparities, all of which pertained to readmission rates. Below is a breakdown of each disparity, including steps to address each one's goals for improvement.
• All-cause unplanned 30-day hospital readmission rates for ages 50-64
• All-cause unplanned 30-day hospital readmission rates for ages 65 and older
• All-cause unplanned 30-day hospital readmission rates for ages 35 to 49
• All-cause unplanned 30-day hospital readmission rates for Medicare patients
• All-cause unplanned 30-day hospital readmission rates for Caucasians
• All-cause unplanned 30-day hospital readmission rates for males
• All-cause unplanned 30-day hospital readmission rates, stratified by behavioral health diagnosis (no behavior health diagnosis) for males
• All-cause unplanned 30-day hospital readmission rates for Medicaid patients
• All-cause unplanned 30-day hospital readmission rates for Asian patients
WHMC is committed to providing compassionate, quality care to our patients in a family-friendly environment. We approach our improvements related to disparities in our readmissions as a whole. Upon admission, each patient is evaluated by our social services team of professionals who are trained to assess patient needs, develop a comprehensive plan for a safe transition to home or another facility. They work closely with the multidisciplinary team of physicians and nurses through daily rounding to ensure clear communication and updated information is provided to patients and families. They also arrange for necessary services or equipment, care plans and resources as well as manage referrals on behalf of the patient. It is important to WHMC that patients are involved in their care and participate and understand their discharge needs.
We have set a goal to reduce overall readmissions by 2%. We plan to do this by first better understanding and assessing the reasons for readmission. When patients are admitted and flagged as a readmission, a high-priority referral will be made to Social Services and a readmission assessment will be performed to determine contributing factors. Whether the reasons are medical and treatment related, patient care and discharge related or patient related factors, an improvement plan will be developed that specifically addresses those concerns.
3. Structural Measures
| Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Commitment to Health Equity Structural (HCHE) Measure | Yes/No |
|---|---|
Our hospital system strategic plan identifies priority populations who currently experience health disparities |
Yes |
Our hospital system strategic plan identifies healthcare equity goals and discrete action steps to achieve these goals |
Yes |
Our hospital system strategic plan outlines specific resources that have been dedicated to achieving our equity goals |
Yes |
Our hospital system strategic plan describes our approach for engaging key stakeholders, such as community-based organizations |
Yes |
Our hospital strategic plan identifies healthcare equity goals and discrete action steps to achieve these goals |
Yes |
Our hospital system has training for staff in culturally sensitive collection of demographics and/or social determinant of health information |
Yes |
Our hospital system inputs demographic and/or social determinant of health information collected from patients into structured, interoperable data elements using a certified EHR technology |
Yes |
Our hospital system stratifies key performance indicators by demographic and/or social determinants of health variables to identify equity gaps and includes this information in hospital performance dashboards |
Yes |
Our hospital system participates in local, regional or national quality improvement activities focused on reducing health disparities |
Yes |
Our hospital system senior leadership, including chief executives and the entire hospital board of trustees, annually reviews our strategic plan for achieving health equity |
Yes |
Our hospital system senior leadership, including chief executives and the entire hospital board of trustees, annually reviews key performance indicators stratified by demographic and/or social factors |
Yes |
4. Web Address for Equity Report
5. Download Equity Measures Report
Click on the link below to download the equity measures report.
Click on the link below to download all equity measures reports.